


i'll tell you that i love you (in my dreams)

by ibtp



Series: don't need to say i love you to say i love you [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: 5+1 Things, Confessions, Kissing, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-07-18 00:10:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19965517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibtp/pseuds/ibtp
Summary: Five times Will doesn't confess to Nico, and one time he actually does.





	1. Chapter 1

Frankly, when he had asked Nico to come to the infirmary, Will hadn't thought that the son of Hades would agree.   
He'd hoped that the other boy would, of course, out of selfish desire and concern. But he remembered the boy after the Battle of Manhattan, bruised and scarred yet still refusing to set foot in the infirmary, instead taking a packet of ambrosia and attempting to heal himself. And anyway, Will probably wasn't anyone special to the son of Hades, which meant that Nico had no reason to come. 

Which is why Will was so surprised when he did. 

Nico was standing on the Hill with Percy and Annabeth, discussing some who knew what. Maybe they were exchanging questing tips or something. Seeing Nico, Will had felt a fluttery feeling at the bottom of his stomach, warm and terrible all at once. And then, he did the most risky move of his life (and he'd once gone almost face to face with a hydra to save Lou), which was grab the son of Hades' hand and not let go. Nico flinched a little at the contact, but had soon relaxed, and when Will asked him to come to the infirmary, he'd complied. Overall, Will counted it as a win, even though his hand had probably been hot and sweaty and just not a hand you would want to hold. Still, Nico hadn't said anything about it as they walked to the building, so hey, he probably didn't mind.   
The raven-haired boy still didn't say anything as they entered the building, though he definitely seemed more ill at ease than he had been before, staring nervously at all of the sick patients and the other Apollo kids, as if they would kick him out or something. Will had felt a surge of protectiveness then, like he wanted to protect Nico from anything that could hurt him, and the feeling hadn't waned, not even as the three days passed by and Nico was released from his mandatory stay. 

It was now Nico's final day, and Will watched as he prepared to leave the infirmary. He would be lying if he said that he didn't feel a sharp pang in his stomach, if he said that he wouldn't miss Nico's company. After all, now that his obligatory time was up, there was no way that Nico would want to hang around _Will_ of all people, not when everyone was probably lining up just to talk to him.   
Will sighed, absentmindedly twirling a pen in his fingers. He supposed that he should actually do some work, check to see if anything needed restocking, probably, but he was too distracted. _Stop self-wallowing_ , he scolded himself, _you're already lucky enough to talk to him for three days. What more do you really expect?_

"Hey Will?" Nico tapped his shoulder and he jumped, startled. "S-sorry, didn't mean to startle you." After quick assurances that it was fine, no problem at all, and after Nico gave him an odd look, no doubt because of the blabbering, he continued, "Thanks. For, well, everything I guess."   
"Yeah," Will rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed, "No problem. I guess, I mean, there's- well- I just-" he stopped to avoid more embarrassment. His heart was probably beating too fast now. 

He wanted to confess right now, tell him before it was too late and forever wallow in self-hate for opportunities missed. If he told Nico right now, everything would be over. If he told him right now, Nico would probably never talk to him again, but his feelings might leave. If he told him right now, maybe he could get over the gorgeous son of Hades, might stop dreaming about carding his fingers through the other boy's soft, raven hair, might stop wanting to kiss those beautiful lips like he did right now, might stop-

"Well, see you around, I guess. Bye, Will." Nico waved, a shy smile on his face, and Will thought that he was falling all over again. "I'll see you around, right?" He looked way too hopeful, as if he were worried that he would be rejected. As if Will would ever _dream_ to refuse. 

"Yeah, yeah. See you around, Sunshine." His heart jumped a little as Nico pouted at the nickname. 

_Soon,_ he told himself, _soon. I'll do it soon. But for now, I'll just enjoy his company. While I can._


	2. Chapter 2

Will could hear the Athena kids yelling at the Aphrodite kids, something about how the color scheme wasn't feasible on such short notice. Fourth of July fireworks was a camp activity that was not to be missed, but he knew that there was a lot of work put into it. Every year, the project was overseen by the Athena and Hephaestus cabins, with Aphrodite kids chipping in with the designs and other miscellaneous campers helping where they could. 

Will had never really liked the Fourth of July fireworks, mostly because it was just another reminder that he had no one to go with. Probably, if he had really wanted to go with someone, they would have gone with him. At least, that was what Kayla, Austin, Ella and his other siblings had said, though he wasn't sure if they were just trying to be nice, or if they were actually honest. To be fair, there had never been anyone that he really wanted to ask. Sure, he had crushes when he was younger, innocent little things that had never really gone to anything. He had dated a little too, but only very shortly, for a little while, the longest being two weeks. Definitely not anyone that he really wanted to take to fourth of July fireworks type of thing. 

This year, Will did want to ask someone, but that someone was undoubtedly out of his league. And even if he wasn't, Will simply couldn't muster up the courage to ask. It was why he stared longingly at a certain raven-haired boy until Kayla slapped him in the shoulder harder than necessary. 

"Oh my gods, Will, stop staring at him like that. He probably thinks you're some creep or something. Haven't you guys been hanging out all summer anyways? What's the big deal about asking him to watch some fireworks with you?"

"Clearly, you don't get it. Kayla, if I ask him, he'll probably think it's some friendly thing or whatever and I'm _never_ going to have him like me back and I'll die alone and miserable!" 

"Whatever, Drama Queen." Kayla gave him an eye roll and left. He sighed a little, and pouted. 

It was true that Nico would probably accept his invitation. Will wasn't blind, after all. He could see that Nico liked him, but liking someone and _liking_ someone are two entirely different things. Will was sure the son of Hades' like was in the first category while Will's like was in the latter, and that was particularly heartbreaking, because it meant that no matter what, Nico couldn't like Will back. He told himself that it was better than Nico abjectly hating him, but it was harder to convince himself when the other boy initiated some sort of contact and he felt his heart clenching terribly at the close proximity. 

He stared absentmindedly at Nico again (it was occurring much more frequently recently) and realized with something close to panic that the other boy was actually coming over. 

_Shit, shit, try to look cool,_ he hurriedly tried to move himself into a more attractive and suave position. 

Clearly, it was not successful. 

"What in the name of Hades are you doing?" Nico laughed at the ridiculous posture he was in. Will blushed scarlet.  
"Nothing- I mean, something important," he tried to nod solemnly, "yes, something definitely important." 

The other boy raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Alright, then, do you think you could spare some time for me, Mr. 'I'm doing something important?'"  
Will blushed again before nodding, not even trying to recover from his earlier embarrassment, "Yeah, what's up?"   
Whatever it was, it made Nico fidget and blush. 

"Will you watch the fireworks with me?" Nico finally blurted out, face red, scrutinizing the blond for any possible sign of rejection. 

The blond found himself speechless, mouth opening and closing without managing to make a single noise. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Nico's expression wilted and he muttered, "Whatever, it's fine. You don't have to say yes. I'm sure you have plenty of people that want to go with you." 

"No, no, of course, I'd love to go with you," Will hurried to reply, "and actually, I wanted to ask you, but I haven't, uh, gotten around to it yet." That was not entirely true, but Will wasn't going to tell him that. 

Nico smiled at him, a beautiful, genuine smile that knocked the breath out of the son of Apollo. People probably razed cities for that smile. They probably sang ballads for it. Will knew that he would have died a thousand times over for that smile. 

"Alright," Nico waved, still smiling, "see you there!"

"Yeah," Will muttered when the other boy has already left, "see you."


	3. Chapter 3

If anyone had told Will that he would be in New Rome, with Nico di Angelo of all people, a year ago, he would have laughed in their face. If anyone had told him that a week ago, he would have done the same. 

It was harder when the face he was supposed to laugh in was Reyna's.

Three days ago, she had IM'ed Nico, and Will just so happened to be in Nico's cabin (he just so happened to be in the other boy's cabin a lot nowadays, but that was neither here nor there). He had meant to leave as soon as they started talking, but he couldn't help admiring the way Nico seemed infinitely more cheerful around her, the way he smiled around a lot more around her. Watching the two interact, Will felt something. Not jealousy, no; the way Reyna and Nico interacted was definitely more like the way siblings interacted, than romantic, and anyways, Nico could date whoever he wanted, no matter what Will might have felt about that. It was more like an indescribable fondness, one that surprised him in its sheer strength.This little crush was never supposed to develop like this, never supposed to continue for so long. 

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

Belatedly, he had realized that the both of them had stopped talking, because he had said the last part aloud. _Oops._ "Sorry. I banged my head." he offered lamely, though it wasn't like either of them seemed to buy it. Reyna peered at him thoughtfully through the mist.   
"Oh, no need to apologize," Reyna reassured, a glint of mischief in her eyes, "actually, I wanted to ask you something. You're close to Nico, right? Why don't you come with him to New Rome?" 

You didn't refuse Reyna, especially not when she was making such an appealing offer. So, now, Will was in New Rome for the next two weeks with Nico di Angelo. He and Nico had been given a room together, in the city, and since the seven all happened to be in New Rome at the moment, Nico had a full schedule for the next two weeks. Will could tag along, of course, but only if he wanted to. The last part, Nico stressed, and Will wasn't too sure what to make of it. 

"Nico, are you up yet? You're supposed to be meeting up with the Seven soon. " Nico didn't even blink, still sound asleep. He had insisted on shadow-traveling despite the obvious tolls on his body, but his mastery of his power were good enough that he wouldn't die. 

On the bright side, it meant that Will could stare at Nico without feeling like a creep. 

The act of staring itself wasn't necessarily creepy, he told himself. In fact, if all of those times he'd gone to the library to access the Internet was anything to go by, staring was actually endearing or something. Then again, the Internet was probably full of creeps, so perhaps it wasn't the most reliable source.

It was hard to tear his eyes away from the other boy, though. Nico looked much more content when he slept, his perpetual frown gone, brow smoothed from its usual crease. He looked almost peaceful, like he had no worries, no problems, in the world.   
Unconsciously, Will reached over to tuck back a stray lock of hair when Nico let out a whimper. 

"No....no, not them....please....please....can't....anymore pain...." his murmurs grew louder and he whimpered again. Hesitantly, Will went to hold Nico, unsure how to deal with this new development. He'd heard somewhere that you weren't supposed to wake up people having nightmares, but it seemed worse to let Nico continue in this state. Suddenly, Nico stood up, gasping, still blubbering incoherently, sobbing. 

"Will!" Nico gasped and held onto Will like a lifeline, holding him tightly, sobbing into his shirt. "I just... everyone was... I-I... you and everyone..." 

"Hey, hey, Sunshine, deep breaths, alright? Yeah, that's right, just breathe. Follow my breathing, okay, Sunshine?" He took deep breaths and listened as Nico attempted to do the same. Eventually, he calmed down enough to say, "I'm sorry. Gods Will, I thought- I thought- I thought that everyone was-" 

"Hey, Nico, don't worry about it. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Will tightened his hold on Nico, pressing him closer. 

"Thanks, Will. C-can you, um, will you- Can you sleep with me? Just, like, doesn't have to be for long. Just, stay?" 

"Yeah, yes, of course. I'll stay here all night if you want." He laid Nico down on to the bed and sat there, fondly tucking in another strand of hair that had been messed up before. Nico, already almost asleep, emitted a noise of assent. 

_I'd stay forever if you wanted me to._


	4. Chapter 4

It was a sunny day. Will enjoyed sunny days, much more than rainy days, and had always liked how the barrier controlled the weather, so that most days were sunny. The sun was one of the more enjoyable aspects of his father's powers. It was better than his haikus, at least.

His mood was brightened further as he spotted Nico. He waved to grab his attention, and Nico smiled. Will thought that his chest might burst.

"Hey, Will," he waved at him, a soft smile still on his face, "what's up? Ready for our 'picnic'?" He made finger quotes and rolled his eyes, mocking Will's apparently childish choice of words, making Will's heart make another flip in his chest. 

"You bet," he grinned back, a good-natured grin, and pointed back at his basket, "the question is, are you?" This was answered by a smack at his arm and a laugh. 

When they were comfortably ensconced in a small glade at the edge of the forest, near enough to the strawberry fields so that they could hear the other campers, but far away enough that those campers couldn't see them at first glance, Will finally let down the basket and sat down. 

"So," Nico extended the single syllable, leveling a look towards the blond, "did you just decide that you wanted to invite me out here, or did you actually have a reason?" At Will's raised eyebrow, he clarified, "What could possibly make Will Solace abandon his precious infirmary?" 

What was Will going to say? That he liked Nico? Instead, he shrugged, "Can't I just hang out with my friend?" 

It was apparently what Nico was looking for, because their conversation subsided at that, both of them content to enjoy the summer sun in silence, until it was interrupted by a loud noise coming from the strawberry fields. It sounded like a sort of chant, actually.

Will peered through the ferns to see Andrew and Tristan, boys from Hermes and Aphrodite, held up by various campers. He could discern the chants through the air now. The campers were shouting "Andrew and Tristan, sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Laughing, Will resumed his previous position. He was glad that they'd finally gotten together; they were his sister Ella's close friends, and he had watched them pine for each other, even given a little bit of advice (despite his own lack of experience), and they really did make such a nice couple. He turned to Nico to make the comment, only to be taken aback by the shorter boy's expression. 

His expression was flat and unreadable, making something cold pool at the bottom of his gut. It was an expression he'd seen before, and belatedly, Will realized that he'd never paused to wonder whether Nico might have been homophobic. It would only make sense, after all. Will remembered that Nico had once told him he'd been born in the 30s, and the views of the time towards these things had never been... favorable, he assumed. 

"Nico?" He cautiously put a hand on Nico's shoulder. He'd begun trembling, shaking a little as if he was reliving something painful, or witnessing something painful. "Nico are you...?" He couldn't quite bring himself to say it out loud, to make his fear a reality. If Nico were homophobic, it might break his heart. 

A long stretch of silence. Finally, Nico turned his head towards Will, looking nervous and as if he wanted to confess something. 

"I-I'm- Will, I'm gay." Nico blurted out suddenly, staring at Will with a fragile, nervous expression, looking ready to break at the first sign of disgust from Will, who was painfully silent, gawking at him. Another stretch of silence in which Nico considered running away, except that if he couldn't face Will now, he probably never would, and that seemed too painful to bear. "I-I needed to tell you. I-I don't-please just say something!" 

Will shook out of his stupor, something undeniably bright starting to bloom in his chest. "That's great!" he yelled, perhaps too loudly, because Nico stared at him with stupefied expression on his face. "I mean," Will lowered his volume, "that's great, that's cool. I'm bi, by the way, so obviously I don't mind that you're gay. It's great, actually. I mean, good for you, I mean-" He was stuttering and blabbering and generally making a mess of himself, but Nico seemed relieved to have it treated in such a casual way, because his lips split into the most painfully blinding and beautiful smile Will had ever witnessed, and murmured, "Thanks." 

Now that he'd said it out loud, Will could see that his previous expression was more one of longing than disgust, he could discern now that the light feeling was hope. They relapsed back into silence, before Will asked, "So you're gay huh? Who was the one that made you realize? That is," he hurried to add, "if you feel comfortable talking to me about it. If you don't, I completely understand, I mean, it's hard, especially considering everything, so probably-" 

"Percy."

"Huh?"

"He was the guy that made me realize, I guess. He was kind of my first crush." Will nodded in understanding. He could definitely see what Nico had seen in Percy, tall, muscular, handsome, heroic. 

"Yeah, Percy's pretty cool." 

"He is," Nico replied, looking at the Son of Apollo thoughtfully, "but I've made my peace with it, and I've moved on. Actually, when I confessed to him, my feelings were already gone. You know, that day that you forced me to go to the infirmary against my will?" 

"Not this again," Will rolled his eyes in playful exasperation, "you needed that." 

"Yeah, yeah whatever." Nico was the one to roll his eyes now, and they continued bantering back and forth and teasing each other. The light feeling in his chest had yet to subside, and as Will looked at the bright summer day, it only expanded. 

He really did like summer days. 


	5. Chapter 5

The Romans were here for "yay we didn't die" celebrations (the name was a courtesy of Leo, Percy, and not very shockingly, Piper), and Will had never seen the camp so crowded. 

They were all sitting by the campfire and someone (either one of the Hermes or Dionysus kids) sneaked alcohol into camp. All of the really young kids had been (obviously) restricted to their own area, watched over by some adults from New Rome that volunteered, but everyone else that was remotely close to being a teenager was free to get drunk. Will himself was pleasantly buzzed after three "mystery" drinks, and he wasn't planning on having anymore. It was fun, though, watching everybody else as they wandered around.

He looked on in amusement as Piper set up a spin the bottle game. Already, the Seven (as they were now known) and other assorted people were sitting around in circle. He spotted Lou making overly exaggerated heart eyes at Cecil who was grimacing, Percy and Annabeth snuggled next to each other, Kayla staring at the cute ginger Demeter kid with the green outfit (what was it again? Sam?) and... Nico Di Angelo. Somehow, he managed to look better than usual, which Will was pretty sure was impossible. He was wearing a simple outfit, just shorts paired with the standard orange camp tshirt, but he made it look like something out of a fashion magazine, rather than just some plain, standard outfit. 

Will turned to leave before he could do anything embarassing (i.e. say something stupid like "Come here often?" to Nico), but was stopped in his tracks as Piper yelled, "Hey, Will! Why don't you come over here and play with us?" 

Mouthing a few choice words, Will spun around, thinking of some believable excuse, but Piper I'm-going-to-meddle-in-your-love-life McLean wasn't having it. Running towards him, she grabbed onto his hand and pulled him towards the circle. 

"Come on Will, it'll be fun. And maybe, you'll even get to kiss a certain someone!" She wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive manner.   
"Piper, come on, I'm kind of buzzed right now and I'll probably make a huge mess of myself in front of Nico and who wants that?" The words tumbled out of his mouth without warning. Piper, though, didn't seem sympathetic in the least. 

"Come on, are you Will Solace or are you Won't Solace?" Will giggled a little, and she seemed to take it as assent, pulling on his arm to drag him towards the circle. 

"Will, Will, hey!" Austin, drunk, waved cheerily at his older brother, ignoring the fact that Will was squirming to get out of Piper's iron grip.

Finally, he gave up, taking a seat next to Lou. He glanced at Nico, and gave him a little wave. The other boy looked like he hadn't drunk a sip of alcohol, and was staring at everyone's drunk antics with a small smile. It widened when he saw Will, waving back with a small blush on his face that Will would rather not think about too much. 

"Alright!" Piper shouted loudly, dissolving into a fit of giggles for no apparent reason, before managing to say "Now that everyone's here, we can start! So, obviously, if you're in a couple and would rather not kiss someone, whatever, I guess. But everyone else is fair play!" She giggled again, devious mischief glinting in her eyes as she surveyed the people around her. Will gulped. 

"Alright, first couple!" Will watched, mesmerized, as the bottle spun and spun and spun before finally landing on Austin. It spun again and landed on James, a Hermes kid. Will let out a sigh of relief, watching as Austin winked at the other boy, who flushed a dark shade of pink. 

The game went on, Austin and James followed by Hazel and Frank, both of them blushing heavily before Hazel leaned in to give Frank a quick peck on the cheek, then Jason and Piper. After, there was Lou and Cecil, who pulled away from their kiss after what seemed like forever, both of them red, and quickly left the circle, Will laughing the entire time. They were followed by Emma from Aphrodite and Noah, Will's younger brother, and then another couple. For a foolish second, Will thought he might have escaped. 

That is, until Piper held up the bottle, looking straight into Will's eyes, the others snickering in anticipation of what was to follow, said, "I wonder who the next two will be?" _Shit_ , thought Will, _shiiit_. 

He watched as the bottle spun, one circle then two then three, unable to pull away his eyes from his certain doom. He saw it land on Nico, then spin again until it landed on him. Will looked up at the other boy, who had the wide-eyed look of a deer in headlights. He looked...

Panicked.

"I-I-" Nico stood, unsteadily, eyes reflecting the flickering fire as he stared at Will. "I-I'm sorry, I can't-" 

And then he ran. 

Hazily, Will watched the other boy run towards the direction of the lake. Unsteadily, he tried to get up, and though he wobbled a little, he was mostly successful. He thought he might have dropped his drink, which had been shoved into his hand by someone, and was already three-quarters of the way done. 

He saw Jason and Piper stand up to follow Nico, but he motioned them to sit down. "Don't worry, I got this. You guys enjoy the rest of the night."   
"You sure?" Piper asked, worry in her eyes. "I didn't want- I didn't mean to make him feel uncomfortable."  
"No worries," Will waved his hand dismissively in an attempt to reassure them, though he almost fell face forward. Maybe he was more drunk than he thought. Regaining his (precarious) balance, he continued, "I got this." 

He sauntered off (at this point, anything else would probably result in him falling on his face and dying) before anyone had the chance to say anything, or point out that he was unfit for the task. 

Starting off slightly wobbly, he regained his footing a little, and started in the direction where Nico had run off to, though at half his speed, hoping that the other boy had stopped and not continued running. 

He finally found him at the edge of the forest, in the glade where they were picnicking just a week ago. The son of Hades was sitting slumped, head in his hands, and Will could hear cursing. He took a swig from the bottle in his hand that he apparently hadn't dropped (not that he needed it for courage, he told himself, even if it was a blatant lie), and steeled his nerves. 

"Nico?" 

A pause, then, "Will?"

"Nico? Are you okay?" 

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Nico was definitely not fine, this at least, Will knew. He looked like there was something bothering him, though Will couldn't quite process what exactly was happening drunk, but knew he would do anything to wipe that expression of Nico's face. 

So, on an impulse, he hugged him. "W-What, Will, what the heck are you doing?" 

"'M giving you a hug," he mumbled, "so shut up and take it." 

"I-alright."

After a few moments, Nico pulled away to sit down, much to Will's displeasure, because he let out a little whine (he'd never do it in normal circumstances, but the alcohol was doing things to his brain, and he felt slightly lightheaded, and Nico just felt so _nice_ ). 

"Will? Are you all right?" 

"Of course I'm alright. I'm with you, after all." 

"W-What?" Nico spluttered out, looking equal parts concerned and shocked. 

“Yeah,” he slurred out, “I could never not be alright if you’re here.” 

“Oh.” What was he here for again? He couldn’t quite remember, only that he wanted to see Nico smile more. 

“C’mon, dance with me!” He took Nico's hands in his, and started tipsily twirling around, giggling and stumbling a little. 

“What the- Will, what are you doing?”

”Dancing! It’s fun! You should try it sometime!”

”I do have fun,” Nico murmured sullenly, “you’re just drunk.” 

Will grinned smugly, “Sure you do.”

“Whatever.” 

“Come on, smile! Today’s a celebration! Not frown-and-glare-at-everyone-you-see day!” 

Nico smiled slightly, a crooked grin of amusement, and said again, “You’re drunk.” 

“Sure I am. But if I wasn’t drunk, I wouldn’t be able to tell you how pretty you are, right?”

”What?”

"Yeah," Will giggled, "you're so pretty. Sooooo pretty. Like flowers. Black flowers. Yeah. Flowers. Like flowers. But 'm too nervous to tell you when 'm not drunk. So there." He reached to tuck a stray curl behind Nico's ear. The other boy stood stiff still, which was the opposite of what Will was going for, so he flopped dramatically on to the ground, not even wincing as the ground hit his back. Nico stood, uncertainly, watching the other in concern, but sat down when Will patted the spot behind him. 

"So what else am I? Except for pretty?" Despite the mocking tone of the words, there was genuine curiosity in it, and interest, maybe? 

"You're fucking awesome. Like, you're pretty and smart and strong, and you smell really good, like flowers. That's the flowers! You smell like them. And like lavender sprigs. Or maybe that's me," he giggled again, "I don't know. But you smell really nice. And you look really nice too. It's really cheesy, but like, your eyes, they're like diamonds. Like, actual diamonds. Kayla said she thinks your eyes look like shattered glass, but I think they look like diamonds. And your hair looks so soft, I just want to touch it all the time. And I want to kiss you. Like, a lot. It's not just that, though. You're so awe-inspiring too. You're a hero, and you're so strong, and you've probably been through more than I can even imagine, but you're so strong. And it's so amazing. And you're really funny and cute and sweet."

It was like a boulder rolling down a mountain. Once he started, he couldn't stop, couldn't resist his impulses and kept on talking and talking. 

Nico was speechless, not having expected this, but Will continued on, "You always put yourself down," he frowned at that, "even though you're so amazing. I don't know why you always do that, when you're just as valued as everyone else. I wish you wouldn't do that, you know. I mean, you're always talking shit about yourself, even when you're comparing yourself to me, even though you're obviously so much better than me, like way out of my league. Like, galaxies out of my league."

"Ou-out of your league?"

"Maybe that's why I like you. Maybe 'm a maso-masoch-machos- whatever 's called. That thing. I mean, obviously, you wouldn't ever want to date me, right? I don't know why I can't get over you. It shouldn't be this hard!" He flung his arms to the sky dramatically and accidentally hit Nico in the face. "Oh my gods, oh my gods, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry." Nico clutched at his nose, which was red but otherwise fine. 

"I can't do anything right," Will admitted forlornly, "even this whole confession thing. I was going to, you know, because even if you rejected me, it would be better than bottling everything up, I guess. I was going to take you to New York City or something, or maybe take you on a date, and tell you, you know, something sweet and romantic and nice. Something that would make you like it, you know? But I didn't even have the courage to do that. I had to get drunk and confess everything because I didn't even have the courage to that." 

"Y-you were going to confess? And take me out on a date?"

"Yeah, but obviously, I fucked that up too." 

"NO! I mean, no, you didn't mess everything up. I mean, Will, look at me," the other boy complied reluctantly only when Nico reached a hand to his face, turning it gently to face his, "you didn't mess anything up. Sure, it's not the ideal way but you could probably ask me out knee-deep in horseshit and I would say yes. So what about this? You can ask me out again, tomorrow, and I'll say yes then, alright? Promise me?" 

"I-what-I mean, yes! Yes! Promise!" Nico chuckled a little at the ridiculousness of everything, but also a little amazed that everything had worked out so well in his favor in the end. 

"Alright, I'll be waiting for you tomorrow. Good night, Will."

He darted forward to give a little peck on the blond's cheek, and when Will finally processed what happened, Nico was already walking away, waving cheerily and leaving a very flustered son of Apollo behind. 


	6. Chapter 6

Nico awoke with trepidation.

After the whole Will thing, he'd returned to the circle, sitting down next to Hazel, assuring Piper that it was fine, she couldn't have known with the whole bottle thing, and informed Kayla that her brother was lying in a field, possibly dying. When he got back to his cabin, he stayed up thinking, alternating between panicking and screeching in joy into his pillow. Finally, he fell asleep at 4AM, before waking up again at 6AM, and falling back asleep for a whole thirty minutes until sunlight streamed through the window he forgot to close. 

Walking through the camp, he was glad that he hadn't drunk much yesterday. The hangover he probably would have had combined with the mix of emotions he was feeling right now would cause him to barf, and Nico wasn't in the mood to have alcohol and chunks of food come back through his mouth. Everyone was either lying dead asleep on the ground, or had someone sober enough to help them get into their cabins last night. The only people walking around were those too young to drink and the people who had volunteered to stay sober to watch them. One of them, a middle-aged man holding a three-year old (Nico was still amazed that there were actual _families_ in New Rome, with the whole parents and kids thing, even after all this time), waved at him cheerily, as did the kid. He waved back, doing his best to smile despite the churning sensation in his gut. 

After breakfast (because, after all, 'a good breakfast makes for a good day' according to Will), he decided to go back to his cabin, figuring that the son of Apollo most likely wouldn't be in fit condition before noon, at the very least. It was better to freak out in his cabin than in public, and he could use the sleep/lying in bed while staring at the ceiling anyway. 

Inside, he continued the routine he'd started during the previous night, alternating between panicking and feeling hopeful. His thoughts rotated between _Shit, shit, shit, what the fuck am I going to do? What if he realizes that everything he said when he was drunk was just the alcohol talking?_ and _Will said he liked me!_ and _What if Will wants something that I can't give?_ To be honest, he was doing quite a lot of panicking. 

He'd spent so much time thinking he was alone that he wasn't sure that he'd be able to keep up with Will. After losing Bianca, and everything else, Nico had spent so much time in the Underworld that he couldn't tell if he was dead or still alive, and had actually wished he was the former instead of the latter. He was better now, knowing that Hazel, Reyna, and all of his friends would stand behind him no matter what, but he still had lapses, and he would be lying if he said that sometimes, couldn't muster up the energy to get out of bed, or worse (as in, Tartarus worse). On those days, Will was slow and careful, not overstepping his boundaries and not making Nico feel like a burden, or as if he should just get over it, or anything that made it worse. But would he actually keep being so supportive? What if he got tired of Nico, tired of all his problems and trauma and flashbacks and panic episodes and bad days? 

There was also the matter of his sexual identity. When he was born, homosexuality hadn't been accepted, at all, really. He hadn't had much interactions with the idea of being anything but heterosexual, being relatively young and all, but there was some part of him that had a hard time coming terms with the fact that he wasn't straight. When he went to the Underworld, he'd been grappling with the idea of being gay, and had privately sought out someone who could help him with it. There were few ghosts that could help him with being gay in the modern world, but there was a few, and after the whole debacle with Cupid, with Jason being so supportive and all that, he'd slowly been coming to terms with his sexuality. Will had been helping him too, but there was still some parts of him that were still grappling with this idea. What if Will wanted him to do things that he wasn't comfortable with doing? Will was so comfortable with his sexuality, much more than Nico, and maybe he'd ask something of Nico that was public and Nico would panic and-

_Stop. Calm down, calm down. Deep breaths_. He breathed deeply, counting down, trying to use the techniques that Will taught him, and slowly, his panic subsided to manageable. The only one that could answer his questions were Will, and Will was probably sleeping his headache away in his cabin (judging from his actions last night, he was pretty drunk). 

He spent some time listening to music, lying on his bed and staring at the black ceiling, through an old Sony Walkman that he found that didn't attract monsters, but the seconds still seemed to stretch into interminable hours of waiting and wondering, until someone knocked at his door. He jumped off the bed and almost tripped on air in his haste to reach the door, but that wasn't anybody's business. 

"Wi-" he opened the door, expecting Will, only to find Reyna. He liked Reyna, sure, but he couldn't help a small disappointed "Oh. It's you."

Reyna raised an eyebrow, "If it isn't a good time, I can come by later."

"No, no," Nico hurried to reassure, "sorry, I was just expecting someone else. Come in." Feeling weirdly like someone inviting friends over, he decided to pretend that his room wasn't self-consciously messy and instead flopped on his bed, an invitation for Reyna to perch on it (because Reyna did not flop, even in Nico's company). 

"So, this person that you were expecting, was it a certain Will Solace, perhaps?" She looked smug, and Nico felt mild annoyance at it. 

"Maybe," he mumbled into his covers, hoping Reyna wouldn't hear him. Of course, she did. 

"Hmm," she hummed appreciatively, "so you finally grew a pair and confessed?" 

Nico blushed, smacking her on the arm, "Reyna!" He affected a scandalized look and Reyna let out a snort. 

"Yeah, yeah, old man. So if you didn't confess, what were you guys doing yesterday? When he ran after you? You seemed pretty happy after." 

"Well," he wrung his hands together self-consciously, "he did. Confess I mean. But he was drunk. He said a bunch of things but... I don't know if he meant them. I mean, he said that he wasn't good enough for me. He can't have meant that, right?" 

Reyna, still perched on his bed, contemplated the issue for a moment, before replying, "Maybe, that is what he feels. Maybe, he feels as if he's not good enough. I mean, you _are_ a hero of two wars-" 

"-so is he-"

"-as I was saying, before someone rudely interrupted me, you're like Percy, but scrawnier and more emo." She rolled her eyes as he protested that, no, he wasn't "emo" whatever that meant, and he wasn't that scrawny. "Face it Nico, Percy is pretty impressive and so are you. I mean, both of you fought against the literal Earth herself, and you were in the two most important prophecies of like, the last century! Can't you see that maybe, he doesn't feel adequate enough for you?"

He'd never thought of it before, but before he could say anything, Reyna continued, "Also, that boy is _clearly_ smitten with you. I don't know him that well, and I've only seen him a few times, but even I can tell that he's head over heels for you. And I mean, 'doctor's orders'? Sounds like an excuse to spend more time with you to me." 

Nico blushed again, but whatever he was about to say died down in his throat as someone knocked on the door. "Well, I guess that's my cue," Reyna stood up, eyes glinting with satisfaction and mischief, "good luck, not that you'll need it. Don't have too much fun, alright?" 

He heard her say "Hi, Will." as she left, and indeed, it was Will that stepped into the cabin. 

"Hey, Nico."

"Will. Hi. Fancy seeing you here." _I sound so stupid, how do I fix this_. 

"Yeah, about that. I remember... talking to you, I think? Last night? I just came to clarify something. I can't really remember what happened, but if I said anything that was weird, or that made you feel uncomfortable, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, really, it was just the alcohol talking." He looked panicked, and Nico realized that if he let the opportunity escape now, he'd lose it forever. 

"Actually..." he scratched the back of his neck, losing confidence in his plan by the second, "last night... you did say some things." Nico saw Will panic, and hastened to reassure him, "Nothing bad! Nothing that made me uncomfortable. But you- yousaidthatyoulikedmeandthatmyeyeswereprettyandsomeotherstuff?"

_Crap._ He hadn't meant to blurt everything out. This was harder than he thought it would be, even knowing that his feelings were reciprocated. "You," he took a deep breath, "you said, yesterday, that you. Well, you said that you liked me." 

Silence, and tension. 

A strangled, "What?" 

"You-you said that you liked my eyes. That I was pretty. That I was strong, and awe-inspiring. Th-that you liked me." 

Will sighed into his palm, and said, shakily, "Look, Nico, I'm really sorry. I didn't want-"

"Don't. Don't be sorry. I-did you mean it?"

"Well," he shrugged, looking remarkably defeated for someone that made Nico's heart beast so fast, "I mean, I guess you already know. There's no point in hiding it right? Yeah, I do. But I swear that won't change anything! I'll get over it-" 

"What if I don't want to?"

"-and. Wait. What?" 

Nico blushed and looked up at him, and said, "Maybe I don't want you to. Maybe I want you to like me. Maybe-maybe I like you too." 

"You. What?" Will's expression of disorientation was too adorable, and Nico desperately wanted to kiss him, so he decided to suspend precaution and do just that. 

It was not what Nico had expected. He expected a heated kiss maybe, a culmination of pent-up feelings and want, and had maybe even wanted it (though he wouldn't admit that, not even to himself). Reality, though, was that this kiss was the opposite. Nico was hesitant and unsure, and when Will finally responded (after a few painfully nerve-wracking moments), his responding kiss was hesitant and shy, as if he wasn't quite sure that he had permission, wanted to make sure that it was alright with Nico, and the boy in question found that he didn't mind it. Actually, he felt his heart melt a little, because Will was willing to take it slow for him. 

"That was..."

"Yeah." 

They kissed again, and this was more passionate, but still gentle and soft, and Nico melted a little into Will's embrace, and Will slid his hand slowly down Nico's back, and Nico curled his hands slightly in Will's feathery soft hair, and everything was a bit of a blur, and neither could tell if it was dream or reality because they had both dreamed about it for so long. 

Will tasted like mint, and Nico tasted like oranges, and by the end, both had the taste of oranges and mint in their mouths. 

When they finally pulled apart, both flushed and bright red, Will asked, "I've been dreaming of this for a long time. Actually, I wanted to do this a long time ago. So, Nico, will you be my boyfriend?" 

Nico's answer needed no words, as he surged forwards for another kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this far! If you liked it, please give kudos! Also, I'm thinking of maybe turning this into a series or something, so uh, stay tuned for that I guess.
> 
> Follow me on tumblr [here](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ibtp)


End file.
